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In May 2015, the Congressional Black Caucus launched CBC TECH 2020to bring together the best minds in the tech, non-profit, education and public sectors to chart a path forward to increase African American inclusion at all levels of the technology industry. The lack of African American representation in the technology industry means that many of our best and brightest – the problem solvers, critical thinkers, and those that challenge conventional thinking – are not included, and America’s global competitiveness suffers as a result. By adopting a CBC TECH African American Inclusion Plan, organizations are expressing their commitment to use their unique capabilities and networks to contribute to increasing diversity in the technology industry.

BDPA Mission

Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA) is a global member technology organization that delivers programs and services for the professional well-being of stakeholders. Founded in 1975, BDPA is a non-profit organization of professionals working in or having an interest in the Computer Science and Information Technology fields. BDPA has a diverse representation of information technology professionals. Included amongst the organization's members are programmers, analysts, engineers, managers, instructors, entrepreneurs, and students, to name a few.

BDPA Motto: “Advancing Careers from the Classroom to the Boardroom.”

BDPA Action Items

Outcome: Increase the number of IT professionals ready to lead at all levels within industry.

Importance: Diversity, especially African American, is needed across organizations to encourage, inspire and demonstrate that better decisions and business growth are achieved when there is equal representation at the table.

Action Steps:

Develop and implement a Senior Leadership/Executive Track curriculum at the 2016 BDPA Conference for senior level staffers aspiring to acquire skills that enable them to grow and be considered for Director and above roles;

Identify opportunities to partner with ITSMF and others to create mentorships and training opportunities that assess and prepare our membership for senior leadership and/or executive level roles; and

Assess and create a BDPA program for senior leadership and/or executive level members that enable them to enhance, strengthen and grow their skills in preparation for new, current or future leadership roles.

Outcome: Grow the pipeline of future IT, Computer Science and S.T.E.M talent through BDPA Connect (College Outreach) and Student Information Technology Education and Scholarship (S.I.T.E.S) program. The S.I.T.E.S program encompasses the High School Computer Competition Program, IT Showcase and Mobile Application Showcase.

Importance: To cultivate the next generation of talent and enable sustained presence in industry.

Action Steps:

Launch BDPA Connect and our updated High School Computer Competition (HSCC) program across our 35+ chapters;

Conduct quarterly webinars with College students to increase awareness of our new program, training/education, technology trends, internship and employment opportunities; and

Expand the participation, quality and sponsor engagement of the Mobile Application Showcase.

Outcome: Establish and formalize partnerships with at least three (3) Silicon Valley technology firms to facilitate a pipeline of internships, as well as entry-level and experienced-hire talent. These partnerships may include the following: financial commitment, in-kind donations, recruitment opportunities, scholarships, internship, strategic and executive support.

Importance: These partnerships become a catalyst and enabler of increased workforce diversity and membership growth, initially in the Bay Area (California) and nationally thereafter.

Action Steps:

Create targeted list of top 10 Silicon Valley tech companies;

Generate and send exploratory “partnership” inquiries to top 10 list, soliciting feedback to determine willingness to partner with BDPA; and

Create and execute MOUs based on partnership, mutual agreement and benefit.